Health Information

Medical Care and Your 2- to 3-Year-Old

Well-Child Visits

Regular well-child exams are an important part of keeping kids healthy and up to date on immunizations against many serious childhood diseases.

Checkups also are a chance for you and the doctor to talk about developmental and safety issues, and for you to get answers to any questions about your child's overall health.

What to Expect at the Doctor's Office

At a typical well-child visit, your child will be weighed and measured and these results will be plotted on growth charts for weight, height, and body mass index (BMI). Using these charts, doctors can see how kids are growing compared with other kids the same age and gender. The doctor will take a family and medical history and do a physical exam.

Your child should also get the flu vaccine every year, ideally before flu season begins. Other vaccines might be needed if the doctor determines that your child is at risk for conditions like meningococcal or pneumococcal disease.

Developmental Progress

The doctor will check your child's developmental progress, asking about behavior and specific developmental milestones. Doctors also give a screening test to help identify developmental delays and autism at the 24- or 30-month visit.

Child safety is another topic discussed at well-child visits. The doctor will talk about the importance of using car seats, closely watching kids around swimming pools, preventing poisoning, not smoking around kids, and using sunscreen. In homes with guns, weapons and ammunition should be stored separately and kept locked at all times.

When to Call the Doctor

Some symptoms can be signs of an infection, chronic medical condition, or other medical problem. Call your doctor if your child has any of these: